Gameday Preview: Missouri vs Alabama

Wednesday

Jan 31, 2018 at 9:36 AM

The Missouri men’s basketball team is struggling and is in the middle of a three-game losing streak. The Tigers, who have fallen out of Joe Lunardi’s projected NCAA Tournament field and are one of the first four out, will look to bounce back against Alabama.

A win against the Tide, will surely get the Tigers back in the field, but it would also be a confidence booster for a team that has dropped to 11th in the conference.

Winning at Alabama has proven difficult for teams this season. The Tide have lost just one game at home this season and none since losing to UCF on Dec. 3.

Collin Sexton, Alabama: Known by many as one of the best freshman in the country, Sexton has been a problem for many teams this season. He’s averaging over 18 points per game, is the SEC third-leading scorer and has scored more than 20 points nine times this season.

He has the ability to score inside and out, with his 36 percent clip from deep. It’s no exaggeration to say that Alabama’s offense runs through Sexton, either. He’s ranked 16th in the country in possession percentage.

He’s also one of the team’s best playmakers as well, though, sporting an assist rate of 24.4. If Sexton has a downside, it’s that, like any freshman, he struggles to take care of the ball at times. He has turned the ball over 47 times this season, including a season-high nine against LSU.

Jeremiah Tilmon, Missouri: Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said, in his Tuesday media availibility, that he just wants the most out of Jeremiah Tilmon. Whether that means he is going to foul out, or not, he wants to see Tilmon playing aggressive.

“He is 19 years old, you’d like for him to be on the floor 20 or 30 minutes, but he is best playing hard, as opposed to being cautious out there,” Martin said. “If he is cautious he might as well be sitting with me.”

Tilmon is a load for anybody to handle inside. Robertson said, after the Mississippi State game, that he could potentially be unguardable. I tend to agree just because of Tilmon’s strength. With that said, if Tilmon comes out aggressive I expect him to be around a double-double. Not a crazy game, but that means he stayed out of foul trouble and should put Missouri in a position to win in the end.

BIGGEST QUESTION: How does Missouri handle Alabama’s athleticism? If you watched Alabama’s game against Oklahoma, or even saw videos and tweets during that game, you would’ve realized how athletic the Tide are. It’s been the case all season, so it’s nothing new, but it’s something Missouri will need to deal with on Wednesday.

The Tide are athletic enough, and big enough, to switch on ball screens, whether on or off the ball, and get out in transition and run with the Tigers. You can expect the Tide to come out and pressure Missouri’s guards, like many other teams have done this year. Alabama, though, isn’t a team that forces an absurd amount of turnovers. This season it has only forced 13.7 per game. Saturday it forced the Sooners into 13, but what Alabama is very good at is contesting shots.

The Tide rank in the Top-50 in nearly every KenPom defensive stat. Let’s just list them off. They are: 31st in defensive efficiency, 29th in effective field goal percentage, 45th in three-point percentage, 49th in two-point field goal percentage and sixth in block percentage.

TWO KEYS

Get back to defense-first mindset: Defense is a stable of Cuonzo Martin basketball teams and it’s no secret. Missouri began SEC play on the right side of the defensive measuring stick, but have since struggled. The Tigers allowed 91 against Auburn and 74 at Mississippi State. Turnovers and defense were the storylines last week. On the road, against an Alabama team that can score in various ways, the Tigers will need to be locked in on defense.

Get Barnett going early: Jordan Barnett was silent on Saturday against Mississippi State. He had five points, all of which came in the first half. Kassius Robertson is going to do what he does, and put points on the board. Missouri needs Barnett, it’s second-leading scorer, to be around as well. Missouri’s offense is going to struggle at times, but a boost from Barnett will go a long way to ending those struggles.

PREDICTION: Alabama 73, Missouri 67

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